No one plans for an auto accident, heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening emergency, and while preventive measures reduce the possibility of these incidents and education teaches us how to handle them, when disaster strikes — sometimes things are completely out of our control.

When someone experiences a traumatic injury or life-threatening medical situation, it is imperative that first-responders and medical personnel act quickly during the hour that the accident initially occurs.

“We always talk about the golden hour of trauma,” said Dr. Dar Kavouspour, trauma surgeon and assistant director of trauma at Christus Southeast Texas – St. Elizabeth. “If you are bleeding to death, if you are a stroke patient, heart attack patient or burn patient, every minute counts.”

An accident might occur far away from a hospital, making response time that much more critical. When it may take an ambulance 45 minutes to transport a patient, in dire emergencies, first responders may opt for air medical transport, which can have a patient there in an average time of 10-15 minutes, depending on the area, Kavouspour said.